Knee saver opinions/recommendation

[Little Angels Softball]

My catchers either throw them away if they have them (although it is extremely rare that I will even consider a catcher who wears them) or they don't catch. Period.

 

[collinspc]

My catchers either throw them away if they have them (although it is extremely rare that I will even consider a catcher who wears them) or they don't catch. Period.

I find it amazing how you would penalize a player for their preference of equipment. Again as I asked OILF, you would sit a top prospect who would be the best catcher on your team because they chose to utilize knee savers?

 

[BuckeyeGuy]

My catchers either throw them away if they have them (although it is extremely rare that I will even consider a catcher who wears them) or they don't catch. Period.

Seems a little extreme. If 3x Gold Glove winner Joe Mauer can wear them, they ought to be good enough for anyone.

 

[Greenmonsters]

If the knee savers are worn on the top straps (which is incorrect), they put extra separation pressure on the knee joint because they act as a fulcrum point behind the knee. If they are worn in the correctly on the bottom straps, I don't believe this is an issue.

You are correct about proper blocking position. The mitt covers the 5-hole, and the feet together are the backup.

AJ Ellis and Jarrod Saltalamacchia are a couple more MLB'ers that use knee savers.

My long, lean, and flexible young DD uses Mizuno knee savers (which are fairly low-profile compared to the Eastons) simply to keep her butt from dragging on the ground in a "no-runners" position. In a "runners on" stance, they aren't touched, and don't get in the way for blocking or fielding. Sometimes she will wear her legs during team footwork and agility drills (cones, ladders, hurdles, etc.), and the knee savers have not once created a movement or speed issue.

Bolded is critical - if worn, they should be worn LOW down behind the calf/ankle, not up behind the knee/upper calf! That said, IMO there is no need for them.

FWIW - for those catchers who complain that their legs aren't strong enough to not use them, they need to do some more conditioning. And for a little motivation, ChazB at ACC has a post on his FB page about a young catcher that set a wall sit PR of 60 minutes and some odd seconds.

 

[sbmom19]

Bolded is critical - if worn, they should be worn LOW down behind the calf/ankle, not up behind the knee/upper calf! That said, IMO there is no need for them.

FWIW - for those catchers who complain that their legs aren't strong enough to not use them, they need to do some more conditioning. And for a little motivation, ChazB at ACC has a post on his FB page about a young catcher that set a wall sit PR of 60 minutes and some odd seconds.

DD does wall sits for 20 minutes with a 25 pound medicine ball. She does them with one leg raised for 5 minutes, then switches...

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Most of my catching knowledge comes from NECC and our local UofA catcher Balko. She sat right on the ground, sometimes. She could get pretty muddy, but I have never seen another girl get that low. With knee savers you cannot get that low. I thought that studies initially showed that the name was a misnomer and did not save the knees at all. I see no purpose for them.

 

[collinspc]

And all of these wall sits put wear and tear on the knees while building the calf and thigh muscles while putting undo stress on ligaments and tendions. Nobody yet, in my opinion has given a valid reason for not using them.

I think we are getting into the realm of the face mask discussions.

 

[Little Angels Softball]

I find it amazing how you would penalize a player for their preference of equipment. Again as I asked OILF, you would sit a top prospect who would be the best catcher on your team because they chose to utilize knee savers?

Absolutely.

It is my team. It is not a democracy. My players do what I want them to do. My players don't do what I don't want them to do.

I cannot stand knee "savers." Whenever I see some catcher resting her butt on them, I think she looks lazy and unprepared to make a play.

As I tell my catchers, "There is no such thing as no runners on base. Any hitter can drop a super-sneaky, super fast bunt at any time. Any hitter can have one of those 'swingaway bunts' at any time. Or, you could drop a third strike at any time. You need to be just as ready for those as you are for a runner trying to steal a base on you."

The knee savers make it too easy for a girl to not be ready, and I won't let mine wear them. Period. And even if you don't buy that, I still hate them because they make a player look lazy in my eyes.

 

[collinspc]

Amy,

I don't think many if any studies have been undertaken on the benefits or not of knee savers. They originally were designed and patented for miners to help with knee issues from squatting all day.

 

[collinspc]

LAS,
Not a very good attitude for a coach to have, but as you state it is "your team". Maybe you should teach better form during play and you wouldn't have a catcher " resting her butt " just my opinion.

A catcher when in a proper stance for what ever the situation will not be resting on the knee saver. Once the sign is given and they get into a receiving position, they will not be resting on the savers/ calves or ground.